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Ocracoke Island - Labor Day Weekend

N941WR

Legacy Member
Hurricane Isaac canceled our planes to visit my wife?s grandmother in Oklahoma. So, the sun came up on Saturday of Labor Day weekend with no plans. After a leisurely breakfast we decided a trip to the beach was in order. After much discussion, we deiced to head to W95, otherwise known as Ocracoke Island, located on North Carolina?s Outer Banks, for lunch.

256 Nautical from our home airport would make for a nice flight. The only issue is there is no fuel available at W95. No big deal, throttled back the -9 can make it there and back without refueling. (Never mind the fuel flow, I have yet to calibrate it.)
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The flight out was uneventful, with my wife and son both napping, which is typical.
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The last bit of the flight is out over the sound and through a restricted area. Flight following is helpful (practically a requirement) in navigating the airspace along the cost. The restricted area and MOAs were cold, so we flew directly to the island, seen off in the distance in this photo. My wife now understands why JFK junior didn?t complete his last flight.
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Here we are on final to Ocracoke Island. I stayed high and then close to the airport, just in case, thus I had to slip it down to the runway. Man, these RV?s are sure good at slipping!
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Down safe and sound, now to find a place to eat.
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Once on the ground, my navigator was quick to point the way.
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Howard?s Pub is a nice place to eat. They monitor the UNICOM frequency and will send a golf cart to pick you up.
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After lunch the Mini-Me played in the water. He even recreated The Miracle on the Hudson.
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The flight home started out normal. Take off on 24 behind a Cessna 182 and in front of a Piper Arrow. They both took off and did a downwind departure to gain altitude prior to contacting Cherry Point for flight following. With the RV, I was at pattern altitude by the time I turned downwind and 3,000? before leaving the island.
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Just east of Charlotte?s Class Bravo my son tells us he has to go ?potty?. As I?m trying to figure out which airport we are going to divert to, Charlotte Approach calls to tell us that the storm we had been watching on XM wasn?t going to clear our home airport for 45 minutes.

With that news, we diverted to Rowan County (KRUQ) where we topped off and waited for the storm to clear. The storm continued to grow in size until the leading edge reached RUQ, at which time I was talking to a friend on the phone who looked up the storm on the computer. He suggested we depart immediately and head north to get around the monster cell.

My friend?s suggestion was a good one. We took off in light rain, flew around the storm in clear air and landed at our home airport in light rain. By the time we had the airplane in the hangar the sun came out. Driving home, towards the storm I was thankful we didn?t wait it out at Rowan County because there were a number of trees and branches that had been knocked down due to the high wind.
 
Bill great little trip thanks for sharing. I like islands and I've been to quite a few but somehow missed this one. How was the food? X-spensive? If yes I have to trick my cousin to go on his turn :D
 
Lunch was $40 for the three of us. So, not too bad when you consider they are on an out of the way island. The food was good but next time, I would call ahead to find out if I can have some rental bikes left at the airport for us. Then we would have our choice of several places and the ability to check out the island from the ground.

Better yet, it would be cool to rent a condo for the weekend and spend more than a few hours on the island.
 
Okrakoke

Wife and I flew into there on Labor Day 3 or 4 years ago. It was so crowded, we couldn't even find a place to park without blocking someone, I didn't even shut down. Took off and toured the Outer Banks up to First Flight Airport at Kitty Hawk.

We're definately going back on at a less busy time and spend the weekend at one of the Bed and Breakfast places!:)
 
Just be careful going in December or January. It's a beautiful place but also a tourist attraction and they roll up the sidewalks in the winter.

Of interest, is the fact that the Germans sunk many of our ships, just off the coast at the barrier islands, sitting at periscope depth and watching the ships leave the harbor, silouetted against the lighted islands. We learned this the hard way and it was "lights-out" thereafter. Many graveyards there with sunken sailors as the occupants:(

Best,
 
Pick Up

Howards Pub will pick you up from the airport and bring you back in an electric vehicle. Just give them a call. From where I live in Va., it would take about 7 hours to drive there because you have to take a ferry. We love to tell people, we go there just for lunch and it only takes an hour to get there in our RV.
 
Weekends can get busy there. If you can go during the week even in the summer its a different place. Once the kids are back in school its also a great place to visit. Almost all the Bed and Breakfasts on the island will pick you up at the airport and supply bikes to get around. Its a great place for a overnight.

George
 
Just be careful going in December or January. It's a beautiful place but also a tourist attraction and they roll up the sidewalks in the winter.

Of interest, is the fact that the Germans sunk many of our ships, just off the coast at the barrier islands, sitting at periscope depth and watching the ships leave the harbor, silouetted against the lighted islands. We learned this the hard way and it was "lights-out" thereafter. Many graveyards there with sunken sailors as the occupants:(

Absolutely right--amazing to see the map of wrecks, both from U-boats and nature. We bit back against the Germans a few times. There are a few U-boats off the coast. At least one of which you can dive down to.

Btw, for everyone else's SA, Howard's closes in the winter (~December-March), but you can still walk around the rest of the island even without bikes (Howard's is about 1/2mi walk from the airport and right at the edge of town). Up the coast at MQI (right across from First Flight) you can take the courtesy car into town for a number of restaurants in the harbor. Nice area.
 
My 9-A is almost ready for paint, this will be on my list to fly to. I think you need to start looking for an RV 10 kit very shortly, C/G may be an issue in a year or 2.
 
... I think you need to start looking for an RV 10 kit very shortly, C/G may be an issue in a year or 2.

I know, we have been looking for other planes. Probably not a -10, maybe an antique of some type. Slower than an RV but fun to fly, in its own right. I'll just have to sell the -9 first. :(
 
Bill, sounds like you had a great time and it looks like a great destination!

I appreciate the phone call and the fiberglassing techniques and tips you gave me! All great stuff!

When the -7 is done, we will be down to see you!

Do you welcome dogs?

Wyatt is really enjoying flying lately!

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:) CJ
 
I like Ocracoke.

When we've been there it's been nice and laid back, not a lot of people.

You can walk to town pretty easily if you're not lugging a lot of stuff or if you just have backpacks and then rent a bike. That's what we did. If you bring your swim gear you can easily walk from the airport down to the nearly deserted, immaculate beach. No chain restaurants to be found -- only mom and pop eateries.

Dare County up on Roanoke Island is a great place to base your RV with rental cars on site and will get you a flight up and down the barrier islands that you won't forget. Consequently if you fly *into* Dare County and/or FFA and then down the Outer Banks you avoid all of the SUA's altogether.
 
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